Autumn Breaks at the UNESCO World Heritage Village of Shirakawa-go

With a couple of mornings already
under my belt, my Japan experience continues to defy my expectations. Imagining
to be greeted by towering skyscrapers that dots the skylines of Tokyo and other
cities in this country of the rising sun, our jaunt so far, impresses me with
endless postcard-like countryside scenery. Directing my gaze outside our bus
window, I see the gleaming landscape in the process of changing hues and colors
as the lush forests from the distance starts to adapt to the incoming autumn
season. As a newbie traveler in Japan, I am also experiencing for the first time
the forthcoming fall season.

I enjoy the stunning backdrop so much
I would not mind sitting for a few hours on a lengthier bus trip. However, as I
listen intently to our tour guide Tomoko-San, our next destination sounded like
a humdinger of a visual feast. While she is explaining the cultural and
architectural significance of Shirikawa-go Village in the Ōno District, Gifu
Prefecture, I smile at the series of good karma that gifted me with an
opportunity to visit this country for the first time.

A couple of months prior, I was chosen along with eight other
travel writers, by Cebu Pacific Air
to partake in their familiarity tour of Nagoya City and its surrounding
Prefecture. Every moment that pass by seem like a gift from the travel Gods for
me to discover the fascinating culture prevailing in this part of the globe.

Mr. Kando poses in front of his house

There is no better way than visiting the
UNESCO World Heritage Site of Shirikawa-go, a small traditional village known
for its centuries-old wooden houses designed in a unique architectural style
known as gasshō-zukuri. These houses
are characterized by roofs resembling a figure of how a Buddhist monk would
merge his two hands in prayer, sloped downward to withstand the heavy downpour
of snow come winter season.

As the centerpiece of each Gassho-zukuri
houses, the thatched roofing is built in an intricate and laborious manner. The
concept of “YUI” -- a labor exchange system almost similar to our local ‘bayanihan’ tradition, participated by
volunteer neighbors, is practiced during the construction of the roofs. The meticulous process starts when the workers drew straws from crops. It is then used to thatch the roof during autumn and spring time. After it dries up it can be then used as snow shield
surrounding the Gassho-style houses. It is interesting to note that these roofs
are constructed without the use of a single nail. Everything were hand sewn
together and because of its triangular shape it creates a spacious
attic where residents cultivate silkworms.

Since the materials of the more than
100 Glasso-zukuri houses in the village are highly susceptible to fire,
neighbors take turns going around to remind residents to make sure their stoves
and other fire-based household items are under control.

As our bus rolled into a complete stop
and Tomoko-San told us to alight, a bevy of cool wind emanating from the clear
afternoon sky embraces my whole body and further introducing the autumn season
to me. A few steps later I found myself standing at the edge of Shiroyama
Viewpoint, where down below spread a spectacular sight of the entire
settlement. Surrounded by rolling hills and lush greenery, the town appear like
a setting from a fantasy tale. Highlighted by the slanting thatched roof, the
houses forms a series of rows along intertwining patterns of lawn walkways and
paved streets.

As surreal as the scene from the
viewpoint, the best way to experience Shirikawa-go is to stroll into the
village itself which we did afterward. The feeling of striding over the streets
where these houses stood and are still inhabited by the descendants of its
original residents, brings forth a perception of shifting to a different era.

I would compare the experience to my
trip to the small village of Chavayan in the island of Batanes where old stone
houses still lord over with the residents, who refuses to surrender to the pull
of modernity. There is an undeniable charming vibe that exists all over
Shirikawa-Go. All of a sudden the idea of bringing my girlfriend and staying
here became an attractive notion (update: no more girlfriend *sad*). Reading my mind, I overheard my friend Kezia
asking Tomoko-San if travelers can stay at one of the Glasso-styled houses. “Yes, in fact there are a few inns here
inside the village” replies Tomoko-San.

“Awesome, I
wanted to stay here for a few days” Kezia countered. “I can live here for weeks” I told her in a toned down voice. Who
wouldn’t be? Especially I heard that once winter breaks, the sight of the
houses covered in blinding white snow turn into notches more visually captivating.

Enlisted as a UNESCO World Heritage
Site in 1995, Shirakawa-go encompasses an idyllic village setting where a whole
community thrived in a sustainable environment without relying on outside interference – which
the village has achieved for more than 100 years until the onset of curious
travelers yearning a peak into their world started arriving. Today, a few gift
shops and tourist inns exist catering to outsiders longing for the tranquil
vibe the village has been enjoying for centuries.

Colorful fishes swim in small ponds around the village - some are even seen in the clean canals

Apart from the renowned Glasso-zukuri
homes, the village is also popular for its abundance of mulberry trees which is
grown in and outside the village. The residents used to strip this tree of its
components to create and trade sanchu
paper, which was once considered an extremely expensive type of paper in Japan.
Today, only a few residents continue to make this kind of paper.

Continuing our walk I catch a glimpse
of some gift shops selling dolls with blank faces. I later learned that these
are called “Sarubobo dolls” (faceless dolls). These dolls are created in such
manner so the owner of the doll could perceive whomever they want to represent
the face of the doll. There is a long tradition in the village of grandmothers
sewing these dolls from scrap materials as a gift for their grandchildren to bring
good luck in marriage and fertility in the future.

The spacious attic

Continuing our walk, our group entered
one of the Glasso-Zukuri houses, the Kanda house where the amiable 60 or
70-something Patriarch cheerfully motioned us to come inside “Welcome to our home, it is not the biggest but it is the most majestic
house in the village” he declared with a smile. The first floor consisted of the living room, dining room,
kitchen and an Irori fireplace laid out at the center of the house. We huddled around it while Mr. Kanda narrated the brief history of the house and not soon after, the heat emanating from the fireplace instantly warmed our cold bodies.

the Irori fireplace

A tour of the rest of the Kanda house
took us to the second floor and the attic where we saw various apparatuses used
for farming and fermenting sake wine displayed as if it’s in a museum. Peeking
out the attic window I am again reminded of the sheer beauty of the village’s
neighborhood. A mixture of the changing colors of the trees foregrounding the
other Glasso-Zukuri homes surrounded by lawn gardens dotted with colorful
flowers, meets my eyes. I imagine what mornings would be like to awake in such
visual banquet.

with my fellow travel bloggers and Mr. Kanda

Our whole exploration of the village
of Shirikawa-go lasted for almost a couple of hours. Too short to fully immerse
in the impressiveness of the village’s setting, but more than enough to left an
imprint in my mind of a fantasy-like world coming alive in real life.

How to Go:

By Land:

Take a train from Nagoya to Takayama
(2 hours) then take the shuttle bus from Takayama to Shirakawa-go (50 minutes).

By Air:

Cebu Pacific Air flies direct flights from
Manila to Nagoya four times a week. To book a ticket and be updated on their seat-sale offerings, please "Like" their Facebook Page and visit their Official Website.

About Marky Ramone Go
I started travel blogging in 2007 and has since became a full-time travel writer contributing for various travel magazines and newspapers such as the Manila Bulletin, BusinessMirror, The Daily Tribune, Travel Now, Gala Magazine and more.

About the Blogger

Marky Ramone Go is a travel-junkie, writer and photographer based in the Philippines. Aside from contributing articles to various publications and websites, he narrates his experiences wandering the tropical paradise of the Philippines, the culturally rich regions of South East Asia, Sri Lanka and India on this travel blog. After Asia, he is keen on exploring South America and eventually tracing Jack Kerouac's "On the Road" trail in the United States to Mexico.: